Beautiful beautiful and just spot on... I was born , brought up in Bangalore (for 30 years) and now in living in the UK, ~7 years to date. (spent good enough time in India to understand our folks and now 'grown up enough' to understand the 'rest' !!) As I travel in this part of the world, my observation is ..its ok we spend less... I have seen lot of locals who are frugal, 'budgeted' kinda travel, I don't think no one looks down on us for that.. (as long as we don't secretly squeeze 6 people in 4 -bed bedroom, these guys just haaaate that !!) .. the worst bit of us Indians, well most Indians not every Indian, is, complete lack of civic sense, and annoying public behaviour.. it really hurts me and I feel so ashamed, saaad, when I see such Indians here..
Once I was in Scotland, on a Tourist Bus, there were other tourists from different countries, there was one Indian family apart from myself; this Indian guy had 'video called' and is talking so so loudly ... all this when the Bus-tour guide was explaining on the mic as we passed different sights.. everyone was so annoyed with this phone guy and the whole atmosphere was ruined (he was told off in different ways)!
Why 'manners' are not taught in most homes, schools is my general worry !!Even worrisome is most Indians travel abroad as 'grown ups'....the least they can do is look around, observe and follow the same .. but no..
The solution probably lies with the booking agencies/ tourism companies !... They must and should give a mandatory 'behaviour session' to all tourists they are sending ...and have an exam to pass, only people who pass should be issued tickets!! the government, school, Families, elders, all have failed to teach good manners , public behaviour and civic sense to our folks.
I really hope more and more Indians realise this - when we (Indians) go as tourists or live abroad, we all should remember that we are 'ambassadors' of our countries in our own small ways.... Opinions are immediately formed about the entire nation based on how we portray ourself to the world .
Thank you for bringing this topic and it is such an awesome read !
Once at Galleries Lafayette Paris' Pierre Herme counter i was calculating the cost of macarons and proudly got 12 packed. Chinese guy came right after me and took two boxes of 50+ pieces for his young daughter.
What stayed with me was the contrast between perception and scale. The essay begins with people talking as though entire tourism industries depend on Indian travelers, but the numbers tell a very different story. It's interesting how easy it is for individuals, groups, and even countries to mistake visibility for influence.
Beautiful beautiful and just spot on... I was born , brought up in Bangalore (for 30 years) and now in living in the UK, ~7 years to date. (spent good enough time in India to understand our folks and now 'grown up enough' to understand the 'rest' !!) As I travel in this part of the world, my observation is ..its ok we spend less... I have seen lot of locals who are frugal, 'budgeted' kinda travel, I don't think no one looks down on us for that.. (as long as we don't secretly squeeze 6 people in 4 -bed bedroom, these guys just haaaate that !!) .. the worst bit of us Indians, well most Indians not every Indian, is, complete lack of civic sense, and annoying public behaviour.. it really hurts me and I feel so ashamed, saaad, when I see such Indians here..
Once I was in Scotland, on a Tourist Bus, there were other tourists from different countries, there was one Indian family apart from myself; this Indian guy had 'video called' and is talking so so loudly ... all this when the Bus-tour guide was explaining on the mic as we passed different sights.. everyone was so annoyed with this phone guy and the whole atmosphere was ruined (he was told off in different ways)!
Why 'manners' are not taught in most homes, schools is my general worry !!Even worrisome is most Indians travel abroad as 'grown ups'....the least they can do is look around, observe and follow the same .. but no..
The solution probably lies with the booking agencies/ tourism companies !... They must and should give a mandatory 'behaviour session' to all tourists they are sending ...and have an exam to pass, only people who pass should be issued tickets!! the government, school, Families, elders, all have failed to teach good manners , public behaviour and civic sense to our folks.
I really hope more and more Indians realise this - when we (Indians) go as tourists or live abroad, we all should remember that we are 'ambassadors' of our countries in our own small ways.... Opinions are immediately formed about the entire nation based on how we portray ourself to the world .
Thank you for bringing this topic and it is such an awesome read !
Once at Galleries Lafayette Paris' Pierre Herme counter i was calculating the cost of macarons and proudly got 12 packed. Chinese guy came right after me and took two boxes of 50+ pieces for his young daughter.
Hahahaha I feel you!! The way they spend is beyond imagination.
So sad :(
I believe we are capable of better. Just have to try :)
What stayed with me was the contrast between perception and scale. The essay begins with people talking as though entire tourism industries depend on Indian travelers, but the numbers tell a very different story. It's interesting how easy it is for individuals, groups, and even countries to mistake visibility for influence.
Good article. You’ve got a good knack for putting context to numbers.
This piece hits hard, given we've just been denied a Schengen visa. Did they know we were planning to eat only shawarmas during the trip? 🥲
Too accurate observation and conclusion! Well done.
Thank you!